Parks and Wildlife reject using air rifles to hunt furbearers

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A citizen petition to use air rifles to hunt furbearers was rejected earlier this month by the Parks and Wildlife Commission by a seven-to-four vote.

Regulations manager Brett Ackerman told the commission that CPW staff had several concerns about the effectiveness of air guns on furbearers, which are generally larger than the species for which air guns are currently permitted. Ackerman said that muzzle velocity for air gun pellets, on average, is significantly lower than regular cartridges. As a result, he said, the effective range of air guns for many species with air guns is greatly reduced, while the risk of an errant shot wounding an animal is increased.